Green Hippo Brings Heavyweight Video Control To Backstage Academy

Backstage Academy is pleased to announce a partnership with Green Hippo, specialists in the design & manufacture of hardware and software for real-time manipulation of video in the AV industries.

Backstage Academy is pleased to announce a partnership with Green Hippo, specialists in the design & manufacture of hardware and software for real-time manipulation of video in the AV industries.

As a result of the partnership, our students will have access to three of Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Amba+ media servers supplied by A.C. Entertainment Technologies. Predominantly used by our Live Events Production and Live Visual Design & Production students, the servers will aid teaching and learning in video control, projection mapping, content creation, systems & architecture and teaching remote control via HippoNet.

James Roth, Head of Sales and Marketing for Green Hippo, said, “We are delighted to be working so closely with both the lecturers and students at Backstage Academy. Our commitment to the education sector in the industry continues to grow and we’re looking forward to helping develop the expertise and experience of the students over the coming months and years. We now have a schedule of events planned through the year at Backstage Academy covering training, special events, internships and the Masterclass Series. I’m also pleased that Graham is now part of our KUSP team.”

As an official partner of Backstage Academy, Green Hippo will also deliver training courses and masterclasses to give real-world work and project experience to our students and staff. This unique access to the expertise of the Green Hippo team will be invaluable to students and a fantastic opportunity to get an in-depth insight into the world of video control.

Green Hippo Masterclass

Jack Scarr, Marketing and Commercial Director for Backstage Academy, said, “Our partnership with Green Hippo is going to bring fantastic exposure to industry leading video control for our students. This partnership extends beyond the sponsorship of media servers, into the sharing of expertise through masterclasses which will be invaluable to our students’ development.”

Earlier this year, the benefit that the Green Hippo partnership brings to students was evident during the Show Control module of our Live Events Production course.

The show control assessment challenges students to produce a performance showcasing their grasp of lighting, video, sound, automation and pyrotechnics techniques. This was the culmination of their technical training developed throughout the academic year.

Lecturer for the Show Control module, Gabriel Woodger, said, “Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Amba+ media servers really came into their own. We used two servers – one to drive a large video wall and another to drive three projectors which were projection mapping onto three large cubes hung above a stage. The students rose to this technical challenge and the servers were central to that success”.

“Green Hippo produce industry leading media servers and it’s a privilege for us to use them. It’s a very visual system and the interface is easy to use which lends itself so well to teaching.”

2nd Year Live Events Production Show Control Assessment

LED Video Wall Assessment

In addition to the partnership, Green Hippo has made Graham Thorne, Course Leader for our Live Visual Design & Production degree, part of their Key User Support Programme (KUSP). This enables Graham to discuss projects, look at new features and explore the Green Hippo software remotely with the assistance of key members of the Green Hippo team.

Being part of Green Hippo’s KUSP has been great for Graham, “It’s been a real privilege. It makes me feel part of the ‘Hippo’ family and students feed off that. Knowing that one of their tutors has been highlighted as a key user provides nothing but positivity across the board.”